


a fish out of water.

by kuripaaan



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-23
Updated: 2015-01-23
Packaged: 2018-03-08 19:19:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3220448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuripaaan/pseuds/kuripaaan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>But you'll have your man. - A twist on the Little Mermaid -</p>
            </blockquote>





	a fish out of water.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [neko_kirin3104](https://archiveofourown.org/users/neko_kirin3104/gifts).



> Written for NekoKirin3104 for the Ii Fufu no Hi fic exchange. Probably should've been posted a long time ago, but I wanted to make a few changes. Enjoy.

“Have we got a deal?”

“If… If I become human,” Sho thinks aloud to himself, “I’ll never be with Aiba or Nino again…”

Ohno chuffs at the thought of Nino squawking about Sho going missing again before he tries being serious once more.

“That’s right. But, you’ll have your man.” Ohno’s nose screws up just the tiniest bit at the thought of Sho heading up to the surface to be with his human ‘love’. Sho didn’t even know the guy, Ohno thinks, he just thought he was handsome. He soon finds himself lost in his thoughts, falling quiet.

Sho clears his throat, trying to regain the sea wizard’s attention.

Ohno looks up, giving a long slow blink before realizing he drifted away from the conversation.

“Oh right,” Ohno cleared his throat, “Life’s full of tough choices, you know. I try to avoid them myself, but.” Ohno shrugs, running a tentacle through his hair. “In any case, how are ya gonna pay? I need to get something out of this.”

“What can I give you? There’s no way I’m giving you my wisdom teeth jars, I’ve had those for too long. I don’t have any--” Sho swims in a circle anxiously, trying to think of something that would be worth giving up for his chance to be with Jun, his hot human prince.

“Sho,” Ohno cuts him off, “how about your voice?” Ohno offers, swimming up to him, sliding a different tentacle across Sho’s throat.

“My voice?” Sho’s voice cracks just the slightest bit, not confident that he could woo his prince without his voice.

“Yeah. You have your looks. Your pretty shoulders. And don’t underestimate the allure of those muscles,” Ohno says, a third tentacle wrapping around Sho’s bicep.

Ohno gives a sigh and swims back to his cauldron, checking to see if he has all the right ingredients. Sometimes he doesn’t know whether or not to trust Nakai's recipes, but they're all he has to work with. And they always made him feel loopy while he made them. Well. Loopier than usual.

After double checking the recipe list, he reaches for a bottle of seafoam captured at the break of dawn and cracks it on the edge of the basin, watching the soft green foam slide in with the rest of the mixture. Pretty.

Sho clears his throat again. Ohno looks back at him, raising an eyebrow, as if asking what he wants. Sho folds his hands behind his back, clearly uneasy with the prospect of losing his voice, but he's willing to do what it takes to get what he wants. He nods at Ohno, a pained expression on his face.

"I'll do it."

Ohno smiles softly in satisfaction of another job well done and presents Sho with the contract.

“Just sign here, Sho-chan.”

Sho steels his jaw and signs, consciously deciding not to read the conditions of the contract written in fine print at the bottom. That was just how much he wanted this.

Ohno nods and rolls up the contract, absently tucking it into his ingredient cabinet. He waves Sho closer to the brewing stand.

"Take a deep breath," Ohno orders, waving the fumes towards Sho. Sho hesitates for moment when he hears Nino and Aiba questioning his actions, but they're quickly silenced by Chinen and Ryosuke. He does as he was ordered, nearly sticking his head into the pot. Nino’s muffled squawking fades into the background as pain slices through Sho’s body, his bones cracking and skin stretching to accommodate his newly gained appendages.

“That looks really painful…” Ohno murmurs from his place where he had moved back to watch the process. He returns to the cauldron as the change takes over Sho. Had he known how painful the entire process was going to be, he would never have offered Sho his services in the first place. Feeling overwhelmed with guilt, he directs Chinen and Ryosuke to release Aiba and Nino so that they can help Sho with his escape to the surface.

"Now that he's human, he's going to need air. Take him and go to the surface," Ohno tells the pair, watching as they scramble to take Sho away.

The pain of the transformation causes Sho to faint, his body becoming limp, making it easier on Aiba and Nino. The pair immediately catches him, and carry him out of Ohno’s cove as soon as they can to reach the surface.

Ohno watches them leave with a soft sigh, hoping that everything turns out well.

\--=--

Sho wakes up on the shore by the castle, Nino’s pinching pulling him sharply out of unconsciousness. He’s disoriented for the first few minutes, taking in all the new sights and smells of the human world, while Nino and Aiba chat.

"Good, he's finally up. He's really doing this, Aiba-shi. And we won't-- I won't be there to help him," Nino grouses, his claws waving and gesturing.

"Hey! I help too!" Aiba protests, his tail-fin splashing enthusiastically.

But Sho doesn't hear any of their bickering. Instead what catches his attention most are the ~~three~~ two new appendages attached to his waist.

I made it, Sho thinks to himself, I’m really here, I really have a chance.

Aiba, floating just a bit out of reach, laughs raucously the first time Sho makes an attempt to stand up. His laughter is renewed when Sho falls straight back on his ass.  
  
“Nice try, Sho-chan,” snickers Aiba. “You’ll get the hang of it in no time at all.”   
  
Sho glares at Aiba, knowing that behind the encouragement of his words was a minefield of sarcasm. Aiba laughs again, Sho’s wordless response tickling Aiba ten different shades of pink.  
  
“I don’t see why he had to get these things at all. And why two? Clearly having six is far more useful than just two,” criticizes Nino, wiggling three of his claws at Sho. Then he pinches at Sho’s ankle, snorting when Sho jerks away in pain.  
  
“And they’re sensitive. Even more useless!” Nino mumbles more about the pointlessness of this pursuit, soon ranting loudly with Aiba’s encouragement (“You tell them how you really feel, Nino!”).   
  
Sho ignores it all, very much used to it at this point, and tries to stand again. Using a nearby rock, he grips it firmly, sure in the strength of his arms. His legs shake, threatening to fold from disuse, but he manages to stay upright. It’s only a few minutes later that he feels comfortable letting go of the rock.  
  
When he stays upright with no support, he grins brightly in happiness trying to getting Nino and Aiba’s attention, only to get bowled over by a dog. Sho screams, or rather, would’ve screamed had he the ability to do so. He tries pushing the dog away from his face, catching it at the collar and holding him an arm's length away.  
  
“Momo! Momo, where _are_ you?” Sho sits up, recognizing the voice as belonging to the prince that he saved from the shipwreck a couple of days ago.  
  
“You can’t just keep running away like… that…” Jun’s eyes go wide as he sees the man lying in the sand, barely clothed. He can’t help it as his eyes roam over the taut body and generous muscles.   
  
This is perfect, Jun thinks to himself. Just what he had been looking for.  
  
\--=--  
  
“Young master, you can’t just go around picking up tramps like that. It’s uncouth! Not to mention lame. What type of prince goes around picking up naked men? What are you, Jun, some sort of predator?”  
  
Jun throws his steward a look, cooly raising an eyebrow. Shun clears his throat, his back straightening again as he's reminded who he works for. Jun turns back to the closet, trying to find something fitting for his unnamed companion to wear. Shun tries again to scold Jun, though trying to stay within the limits of his job status.  
  
“I mean. What would your parents think?”  
  
“Does it matter what they think?" Jun shoots right back, "They’re not here right now and won’t be back for a while more. I choose who is worthy of my company, and that should be reason enough for you, Shun. Remember who signs your paycheck, okay?”  
  
Shun just rolls his eyes, but stays quiet, accepting that he's lost this round. He takes the clothing as Jun hands it to him, offering his opinion only when asked. Once Jun finds an outfit he’s happy with, he orders Shun to follow after him to the bathroom where his silent companion is taking a bath.   
  
Jun knocks politely on the door, entering when he hears the splashing cease.  
  
“I’m sorry to disturb you but I’ve brought you something to wear while your… clothing… is washed.” Jun gestures for Shun to set the clothing down on the chair besides the bathtub. Shun barely stifles his sigh as he does so. Jun watches him from the corner of his eye, completely focusing on Sho again when Shun returns to his place behind Jun.  
  
“If there is anything that you want, please feel free to call-- Uh. Ring the bell. My steward will be here to assist you with anything you need. But please do hurry. I need you ready for the tour of my kingdom. I want to show you all the great things we rule over.”  
  
Sho nods eagerly, a huge smile spread across his face. He gives Jun a thumbs up, splashing himself in the face with water and bubbles. His jaw drops in pain as he rubs at his eyes, trying to get the painful bubbles out, but only making it worse in reality.  
  
Jun and Shun stifle their laughter, exiting the room and closing the door behind themselves. They burst into laughter, falling against each other when the laughter threatens to knock them over.  
  
“Did you see that,” Shun gasps, cackling.  
  
“Oh my god, how could someone be so clumsy,” snorts Jun, covering his mouth as more laughter threatens to spill out. All of a sudden, Shun is quite aware of how close Jun is, his body heat radiating from his body. He pulls away immediately, straightening his clothing. He watches as Jun realizes the same.   
  
“Well. That was fun. I have something I need to take care of,” Shun says, giving Jun a quick bow and leaves from the room, slipping out.  
  
Jun heaves a big sigh, deflating when he’s alone in the room. That didn’t work as well as he wanted it to. Time to move on to Plan B, Jun thinks, the gears already churning in his head.  
  
\--=--  
  
Sho and Jun  come back from the tour of kingdom soaked in what Shun thinks is lake water. Though why that might be the case, he can’t figure out for the life of him.   
  
“I don’t know how you two managed this. Did you two have an argument? A fistfight?” When both of the men ignore him, Shun sighs, shrugs, and heads straight to work.  
  
Immediately, he brings both of them to their suites, stripping them of their soiled clothing and forcing them both into the baths. As is the natural order, Shun takes care of Jun first before he goes to assist Sho.   
  
Shun knocks politely on Sho’s door, entering after a few moments of silence. Sho is just coming out of the bath, wrapped in a robe. He’s toweling his hair dry, unaware of Shun’s presence. Sho reaches out for the fork on his bedside table, sitting at the vanity to fork out his hair. It’s only when he’s almost done detangling his hair that he notices Shun in the mirror, standing in the back of the room looking entirely too amused.  
  
He  ~~silently~~  squeaks, turning to Shun immediately in shock. Shun only bows in response.  
  
“Good evening, sir. I came to inform you of the young master’s birthday party tomorrow night. Your outfit has already been decided and will be available tomorrow morning when you awake. We’re excited to have you there.”  
  
Sho only nods dumbly in response. With that, Shun bows again and exits the room, leaving Sho alone. Sho finishes forking out his hair and climbs into bed when he’s done with that. It’s only been two days, but he’s sure one day he’ll be comfortable here.  
  
\--=--  
  
Sho wakes the next day, having slept as well as he could with the excitement for Jun’s party. The day flies by in a blur with the preparations for the ball. Sho’s been told by many of the castle staff that almost the entirety of the kingdom has been invited and that he was to be Jun’s date to the ball. This took Sho almost completely by surprise, but he couldn’t ignore how happy that made him.   
  
When Sho went to go confirm this information with Jun somehow, with gestures and body language, he couldn’t find him anywhere. It was only at the party that Sho met up with Jun again. This time, his arm was interlocked with Jun’s as they made their grand entrance. A chorus of Oohs and Aahs met them when the crowd saw who they were.   
  
Sho blushes brightly, fighting the urge to hide his face in Jun’s strong shoulder. Jun leads them to the head of the table, pulling Sho’s chair out for him. Sho takes his seat, nodding his thanks to Jun. Jun barely gives him a smile before he’s addressing the crowd.  
  
“Let’s eat!”  
  
The crowd applauds in agreement, the hall soon filled with the noise of conversation, of forks and knives scraping against the plates, of people enjoying themselves. Sho himself is fascinated to find everyone using the forks for food and not for their hair. He shrugs to turns to his own food. It smells delicious and before he knows it, he’s finished the entirety of his plate.  
  
His belly full, he turns to Jun to let him know how good the food is, only to find Jun’s seat vacant. He glances around the wide room before spotting a flash of Shun’s coat disappearing around a corner. Sho follows the man curiously, knowing that where Shun is, Jun is usually nearby.  
  
Sho’s curiosity gets the better of him when he sees light shining from the bottom of the coat closet door. He opens the door and is greeted by Shun and Jun making out furiously, grabbing and pawing at each other. Sho falls back against the wall, furious at the two, but mostly embarrassed that he had been used in the games they were playing with each other.  
  
That is the only explanation Sho could imagine. Otherwise what was the reason for him being here? Sho turns and makes his way out of the hall, ripping the clothing off of him as he goes.   
  
“Unnecessary human conventions,” Sho yells soundlessly to himself as he heads straight down to the beach to return to the ocean, nude by the time he hits the shore. He wades into the water until he’s waist deep, waiting for Aiba and Nino to surface.   
  
“Sho-chan? Back so soon?” Aiba waves a fin at Sho, smiling far too widely.  
  
“What happened? Lover boy didn’t want you,” Nino asks, hitting the nail right on the head.  
  
Sho does his best not to let it bother him, instead nodding. He points to the two of them, points down into the water, flails his arms as if they're tentacles, and then makes a crown on his head.  
  
“Us…. down…. seaweed... King! … Royalty? I’m really bad at this game, Sho-chan,” laughs Aiba, throwing out more guesses before Nino gets it right.  
  
“Ohno, the sea wizard. You’re sure?” Nino watches Sho closely. He knows how much Sho wanted this man, but maybe he’d seen the errors of his decision. Whatever the case was, Nino was glad to have him back. And so he went down to retrieve Ohno, who surfaced with the ease of a bass fish.  
  
“Yes, Sho? Nino told me you wanted me?” Ohno absently pets Nino, humming.  
  
Sho tries his best to mime out what happened, but it’s hard to describe without any words to offer in the first place. As a last resort, he points to his throat, points to Ohno, and holds out an empty hand facing up.  
  
“Hm? Did something with your throat? You need a potion of well being? I don’t know how effective my potions are on humans, to be honest,” Ohno wonders aloud.  
  
Sho shakes his head, pointing to his throat again and to the shell necklace that Ohno is wearing. Sho stomps his foot in the water, almost demanding, with the entirety of his body, that Ohno fix this.   
  
“Oh! I don’t sell these anymore. Though I wish they still-” Ohno is cut off when Sho steps on a tentacle in his effort to get close to Ohno. “Ow!” Sho pulls the necklace from Ohno’s neck, smashing the shell on a nearby rock jutting from the waer.  
  
Sho smiles when he see the voice flowing back to him, opening it with welcome arms. Except that, when it does reabsorb back into him, he finds himself still mute.  
  
Turning back to Ohno, Sho tilts his head in question. Ohno laughs in amusement, stepping closer to Sho.  
  
“It’s because you need true love’s kiss, idiot.” A tentacle slides up Sho’s back, caressing his neck and directing him into a deep, sensual kiss. Sho finds himself momentarily shocked, before letting him melt into the kiss.  
  
\--=--  
  
Sho can’t tell you when his fins returned, but was he ever glad that they did.


End file.
